According to the SAPS, three categories of people have received such protection. The first covers members of the legislature, including Speakers and Deputy Speakers of national and provincial legislatures, as well as the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. The second covers senior members of the judiciary such as the Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice, Judge Presidents, and heads of key courts. The third category consists of ad-hoc VIPs, defined as individuals of strategic importance whose protection is based on confirmed security threats. Such protection is temporary and withdrawn once threats are deemed to have subsided.

From 2020/21 to 2024/25, SAPS protected 22 members of the legislature and 14 members of the judiciary annually. The number of ad-hoc VIPs fluctuated, with 11 in 2020/21, peaking at 25 in 2022/23, and dropping to 14 in 2024/25.

The total costs, excluding salaries for close protection officers, travel expenses, and the cost of vehicles (provided by relevant departments), amounted to R71.27 million for legislature members, R45.35 million for judicial figures, and R53.13 million for ad-hoc VIPs over the five years.

SAPS stated that the protection of provincial premiers, members of the executive council, and the judiciary is mandated under Cabinet Memorandum 1A of 2004 and SAPS divisional directives. Ad-hoc protection is determined by threat and risk assessments conducted by the intelligence community.

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The incident, which took place in Gauteng on July 3, 2023, involved VIP Protection Officers assigned to the security detail of Deputy President Paul Mashatile. A viral video captured the officers assaulting motorists, triggering public outrage and immediate calls for action. The SAPS Presidential Protection Service was made aware of the matter on the same day and initiated a disciplinary process.

The disciplinary hearing officially commenced on 18 December 2023, but has suffered several postponements “due to complexities associated with collective misconduct involving several members.”

On 01 November 2024 members were suspended without salary in terms of Regulation 15(5) of SAPS Discipline Regulations for a period of two months. Under the regulations, during the period of suspension, members must reconvene the hearing and the failure to reconvene would result to a discharge from the service.

The hearing was re-convened on the 12 of December 2024 and representatives of members requested to submit written representation for the failure to attend the hearing that lead to the suspension of members.  The hearing was then postponed to 04 February 2025.

On 16 January 2025, further delays occurred as the South African Police Union (SAPU), which had taken on the officers’ representation, requested another rescheduling to January 29, 2025. At this hearing, SAPU argued for another postponement until February 17-18, 2025, citing a related criminal case set to begin on February 3, 2025.

When the disciplinary hearing resumed on February 17-18, 2025, the investigating officer was summoned to clarify key aspects of the case. However, the matter was yet again deferred, with a new date set for March 17-19, 2025, where witness testimonies are expected to be presented.

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The payments were revealed in a parliamentary reply from Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to Rise Mzansi Chief Whip Makashule Gana, who additionally enquired which Ministers or Ministries had officers claiming the most overtime. Mchunu did not respond to the second question, but did reveal that Close Protection officers “are claiming the same number of hours for overtime, per month, which is 100 hours, due to the extra-ordinary working hours.”

The total amount in overtime paid by SAPS to VIP protection officers for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years is R 198 045 844.00 and R 161 885 074.00, respectively.

In a statement released by Gana, he stated that with the current size of cabinet, which includes 34 Ministers and 38 Deputy Ministers, “it is inevitable that during the current term of office, the SAPS VIP Protection Unit overtime bill will increase sharply.”

Gana further called on Mchunu to “work with his Public Service and Administration, and Treasury colleagues to find a remuneration model that does not revolve around overtime.”

“The primary role of the State and the SAPS is to keep the people of South Africa safe, therefore, resources should be used to achieve this; but seemingly, keeping politicians safe is prioritised at the expense of keeping the people safe.”

In a social media post, Gana commented on the overtime payments, saying “R360 million paid for overtime to keep politicians safe whilst South Africans have to fend for themselves.”

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In July 2023, eight officers of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s blue light convoy were captured on video accosting and assaulting civilians they forced off the road for allegedly not obeying orders to move out of the convoy’s way.

Calling for accountability, Action Society raised concerns that despite the seriousness of the charges facing the eight officers involved, “progress on both the internal disciplinary hearing and the criminal court case has been exceptionally slow.” Further, the group said the accused officers’ use of various delay tactics was causing frustration and “eroding public trust in our justice system.”

Juanita du Preez, Action Society spokesperson, said that the accused’s tactics “border on the ridiculous and surreal, and a complete waste of the South African taxpayer’s money.” She further explained “on 7 August they fired their representative only to re-appoint him 20 minutes later. They then promptly informed the chairperson that he must be given more time to familiarise himself with the case as he is now their ‘new representative’.”

Respecting that IPID did not have control over the “protracted nature” of the criminal proceedings, du Preez noted IPID does have control over the internal disciplinary investigation into the SAPS Members actions.

“We therefore urgently request detailed feedback regarding IPID’s investigation into the conduct of the VIP Protection Unit members involved in this case. Specifically, we seek to understand the current status of IPID’s probe, including any findings that have been made and the steps IPID intends to take against these officers,” said du Preez

Action Society again called for the immediate suspension of the eight accused officers. “We wish to remind IPID that their mandate is to investigate police misconduct independently and that it is not necessary to wait for the conclusion of either the internal disciplinary hearing or the criminal court case to take decisive action,” noted du Preez.

Further, she sought to remind those at IPID that the directorate “has an obligation to act against perpetrators, particularly when there is clear evidence of wrongdoing.”

The letter issued by Action Society additionally called for IPID to be decentralised, with the group stating it would “go a long way in combating corruption, incompetence and brutality within the police.”

Action Society has repeatedly advocated for IPID to be granted status as a Chapter 9 Institution, with du Preez saying “without that type of authority, IPID is more of a bouncer than a watchdog.”

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“It is now a year since the July 2023 incident and the fact that no progress has been made signifies clear disregard for accountability. The inability of the SAPS internal disciplinary system to conclude the matter also undermines the credibility of SAPS in the eyes of the public,” Cameron said in a statement.

The SAPS assured the 6th Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police on 16 August 2023 that the disciplinary process would continue and remain independent of the criminal case, but Cameron called the slow progress of the process unwarranted.

Disciplinary action was initiated against the eight VIP officers immediately upon learning of the incident, with suspensions issued. The Committee then expressed concern regarding the implicated members, who remained employed, though on desk duty. The Committee then criticised the slow pace of the internal disciplinary process. This delay was reinforced by a “perception of impunity and prevalence of police brutality”, ultimately further damaging the reputation of the SAPS, Cameron stated.

Cameron went on to say that “the 2016 disciplinary regulations are clear,” internal disciplinary actions must proceed “regardless of ongoing court cases.” He further noted “the disciplinary regulations make provision for an expedited disciplinary process, and it is unclear why the SAPS are disregarding their own regulations.”

On behalf of the Committee, Cameron officially enquired as to the members’ current status, as they remain officers employed by the SAPS, and why the disciplinary action has yet to be completed.

“It must also send a clear message that any rogue element within the SAPS will be subjected to the full might of the law. SAPS officers must be an example to citizens and must protect the laws they are employed to enforce,” Cameron concluded.

The Police Committee is giving the SAPS ten days to explain why disciplinary processes against the eight accused have not yet concluded, and if it fails to do so, Cameron will insist the police explain the delays in Parliament.

In July 2023, eight officers of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s blue light convoy were captured on video accosting and assaulting civilians they forced off the road for allegedly not obeying orders to move out of the convoy’s way.

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Mchunu recently tabled the R113.6 billion police budget in parliament. The protection and security services programme was allocated R4.09 billion (almost as much as the R4.74 billion for crime intelligence), with VIP protection services taking a 53.1% portion of it – nearly 2% of the entire police budget.

“South Africans fear for their lives everyday with more than 80 people being killed daily and 135 reported rapes. This money should be spent on keeping South Africans safe, not providing ministers luxury special services at the cost of the taxpayer,” said Action Society’s Juanita du Preez.

“Not only is this a shameless waste of taxpayers money, but we have seen how protection services have been abused in the past. Under Bheki Cele’s leadership we saw the protection unit beat and harass civilians in broad daylight with little to no consequence. A year after the BlueLightMafia eight assaulted civilians on a highway in Gauteng, the disciplinary process isn’t even finished and all eight are still in the police service. Is this unit going to be funded to intimidate South Africans and allow the police to silence her citizens?”

Action Society demanded that the budget allocation to VIP services be revised as soon as possible and that combating violence against women and children is prioritised.

Unpacking the police budget earlier this month, National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams said, “The National Coloured Congress cannot support this budget. It cannot support a budget that allocates more to the protection of 72 VIPs than to crime intelligence. It is unthinkable.”

In April, it emerged that the South African Police Service spent over R42 million on petrol and diesel over the past six years purely for its VIP Protection fleet.

“While South Africans are suffering from crushing cost of living, including higher fuel prices, ANC VIP cadres take the taxpayers for a ride without having to put their hands in their pockets,” the Democratic Alliance’s Andrew Whitfield said at the time.

“Just recently, the ANC increased the SAPS VIP Protection allocation in the mid-term budget by over R52 million. In fact, the budget allocation for these services has increased by over 25% over the last five years,” Whitfield added.

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